The number of rhino poached since the beginning of the year has reached 350, the environmental affairs department said on Thursday.

"The Kruger National Park continues to bear the brunt of the poaching, with 242 rhino having been killed in the national park since the beginning of the year," the department said in a statement. "In the North West province a total of 29 rhino have been poached, while 28 have been poached in Limpopo, 33 in KwaZulu-Natal, and 17 in Mpumalanga." Gauteng lost its first rhino to poaching this year in the past week. The number of people arrested in connection with rhino poaching had risen from 98 to 106. "The majority of these, 101, were at the level of poacher, with the rest being receivers," the department said. In 2012, 452 rhino were poached in the Kruger, bringing the total for the year to 668 nationally. The department urged members of the public to report any incidents of rhino poaching.